(ECNS) -- A notice banning staff members at a government-affiliated agency in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu from bringing their Samsung handsets to the office has sparked hot debate.
The local governmental affairs service center, a bureau-level administration, shared the ban on its official Weibo account, which was printed on the center's official paper but carried the seal of another agency responsible for operations.
It also urged employees to keep a close eye on visitors and stop anyone from charging that model of Samsung smartphone.
Many Weibo users have questioned if the service center was qualified to issue such an order, which attracted over 130,000 page views after its release.
The center later deleted the post, saying it is an internal policy for staff only and not valid for visitors. It also called on netizens to not misunderstand the message.
It explained that the ban is intended to safeguard personal and property safety after reports that some Samsung Galaxy Note 7 batteries exploded or caught fire.
